Essential California: State lawsuit against Huntington Beach may be just the first over housing barriers

A drill team performs on Main Street in Huntington Beach during the 2018 Independence Day Parade. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Jan. 26. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Advertisement

>

California is facing a housing crisis, and there are growing signs Sacramento is beginning to treat it like a real crisis. The state sued the city of Huntington Beach on Friday and accused it of failing to allow enough new homebuilding to accommodate a growing population. The legal action is part of a push by new Gov. Gavin Newsom to flex the state’s muscles over homebuilding, an issue that has long been the domain of local government. Los Angeles Times

— Earlier: A Times investigation showed how easy it is for cities to ignore affordable-housing requirements. Los Angeles Times

The citizenship question: Trump administration lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute over the 2020 census and uphold theirplans to ask everyone about their citizenship. The move sets the stage for a high-stakes legal fight over the population count, one that could cost California billions in federal funds. Los Angeles Times

From Park City, Utah: How Michael Jackson and horrible accusations of abuse roiled the Sundance Film Festival. Los Angeles Times

In Sacramento: Did a cop in California give violent white supremacists a pass? The Guardian

Sunshine suit: The Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee have sued the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for documents about misconduct or significant force by deputies, marking the latest case in what has become a statewide legal battle over the disclosure of law enforcement personnel records. Los Angeles Times

The partial government shutdown ends: Did Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi beat President Trump in the shutdown battle? Many in Washington think so. CNN

Put the phone down: Steve Jobs would not approve of our obsession with his iPhones. New York Times

5. What’s in the deal to end the LAUSD teachers’ strike? A look at the details. Los Angeles Times

THE RETURN OF COLUMN ONE

Since its debut in 1968, Column One was one of the Los Angeles Times’ most enduring features. In a sea of news, it was a different kind of story that celebrated the offbeat, the unusual and sometimes the painful. It did so in-depth, often with narrative writing. Column One quietly disappeared in 2014, but now it’s back. Here is a reintroduction. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

>

— The first story of the Column One revival follows a Bay Area doctor who travels to perform abortions in Texas, part of a new underground railroad. Los Angeles Times